Chapters Rainbow Dash woke up in her bed, the sun peering inside from her window and warming her body. Her eyes groggily opened up, magenta irises scanned the wall for her clock, and she saw it was close to twelve. With a huff she fell back onto her pillow, a small moan leaving her mouth as she wished herself back to sleep.
Only her body sent signals she needed to get up, first and foremost.
“Bathroom.” She groaned tiredly, getting up and flopping onto her floor. Her wings were extended and painfully stiff, she also became aware her feathers needed a good preening, and her teeth tasted of yesterday’s lunch. Hayburgers and cider, the thought of cider made Rainbow thirsty. She pushed those thoughts away as she entered her bathroom, and got to work.
After relieving her bladder, she walked over and turned on the shower, the water ice cold before warming to a more appropriate temperature. With a sigh she stepped inside, and under the warm water with a moan. The water ran down her neck and withers, cascading down her body and waking her up. She stood under the torrent for sometime before getting to work, scrubbing away the morning and cleaning her body.
As she showered, she thought of what she was going to do today. I could always bother Applejack. She figured, the apple mare being one of her friends, perhaps they could hoofwrestle later in the day? She didn’t exactly have any plans for today, the only thing she thought of doing was sleeping all day. As of now she had a month off from the Wonderbolts, and Spitfire didn’t need her for anything. The map hadn’t any problems for them to solve, it’s been pretty lax this time around for the elements.
She sighed, running a hoof through her mane, the prismatic mop of hair falling down the side of her face. She leaned back, her snout held towards the running water. She opened her mouth, gathering up some of the rainwater before gargling and spitting it out and letting the water run down her face. Her eyes were closed, and she was content to sit back and enjoy the shower.
These were one of her favorite moments, just being alone in the rain. Yeah it was a shower, but it used rainwater, so it was pretty much the same thing. Being a Pegasus, she enjoyed the rain far more than some ponies did. And she loved to stand in it, letting the rain run down her body and wings.
Once Rainbow was satisfied, she turned her shower off and stepped out, still dripping wet as she made her way to her room and started down the stairs. Her walls and floor were decorated in a theme reminiscent of olden Roam, banners and flags of the Wonderbolts hung from the rafters and walls, pictures of her and her mother and father hung nearby on the stairs. Ones she fondly looked at every day.
After reaching the floor, she opened her front door and spread her wings before taking flight. Nothing like a good morning flight to work out the kinks and dry off. Rainbow thought as she flew high into the air, the crisp wind running over her body as she casually flew around her home, doing loops and dives. Her mane and tail were drying off, and her coat soon followed suit.
A happy smile made its way onto her muzzle as she landed on her front door, she shook her mane, while still a bit damp it was good enough. Her ears wiggled as she heard the sounds of flapping, and craning her head she spotted Derpy Hooves flying to her house. The grey Pegasus landed on her front step near her, smiling her ditzy smile. “Hiya Rainbow Dash!” She greeted, waving her wing.
“Hey Derpy,” Rainbow nodded. “Got mail for me?”
Derpy nodded back, reaching into her mailbag and rustling around for a letter, or a package, Rainbow didn’t know. After a bit, Derpy made an “Aha!” of triumph and pulled out with a letter in her teeth. “Fo ou!” She cried, spitting out the letter at Rainbow’s hooves. “Gotta fly!” The pony giggled before taking off, flying down to Ponyville.
Rainbow shook her head as she picked up the letter, looking it over. She saw her dad’s signature on the front. “Dad?” She ripped the letter open with her teeth, tearing off the top and pulling out the letter.
“Dear Rainbow Dash
How have you been kid? I haven’t seen you since you came over to show me your Element of Harmony five years ago, I miss you Dashie.
Anyway, I’m hoping you’ll be coming to visit this time around, cause guess what? Your Uncle’s coming over for a visit, you remember him right? He was always somepony you loved to listen to.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened as she kept reading.
“I’m not sure why he’s coming over or for how long, but I know he’ll want to see you, so I hope you come on over, I’ll be ordering takeout if he doesn’t want to cook, you know how bad I am at cooking.”
Rainbow giggled, her thoughts turning to her father’s cooking. It was pretty bad.
“So, I’ll see you, hopefully soon Dashie.
Much love, your father
Rainbow Blitz.”
A smile graced Rainbow’s face, her uncle was coming over. She held the letter close as she flew back into the house as fast as she could. She flew up to her room, folding the letter back up and putting it in her drawer with the rest of the letters she had gotten from her dad, which was a small but moderately sized collection she had gotten over the years.
After placing the letter down, she picked up a sheet of parchment and a quill, and got to writing.
“Dear Dad.
I honestly can’t believe he’s coming back after so many years, I won’t lie when I tell you I’ve missed him a lot. And to hear he’s coming for a visit, I am really happy right now.
So yeah dad, you can expect me to pop up at some point, maybe tomorrow. So prepare yourself daddy…
Your little girl’s coming home.”
End of Chapter One
After her letter had been written, she had sent it via a dragonfire candle before landing in Ponyville. She couldn’t believe her uncle was coming over, she hadn’t seen him since she was just a little filly. A smile grew on her face as she thought of the memories of him, the stallion was always somepony she could turn to for a good laugh or advice, just like her dad.
Of course she was going to fly to Cloudsdale the second she got, she just wanted to inform the others first of what was going on before she left all of a sudden. Making her way to Twilight’s castle, she flapped her wings and took flight, flying overhead. Several ponies waved to her and she waved back, nodding to some and waving to others.
She spotted the CMC cruising by in their wagon, Scootaloo driving them with her scooter. She still couldn’t believe their marks had finally come, and they were all connected to each other, don’t get her wrong. She was proud of Scootaloo and the rest for getting them after almost five years of searching, and she couldn’t be happier.
As she flew over them, she could see the castle in the distance, the crystal structure hard to miss even if you were not flying. Rainbow could see Twilight’s guards patrolling nearby and gave them a wave, they saluted back to her as she landed on the balcony and near Twilight’s door.
With a flutter of her wings, she cantered over to the door and opened it, and was almost decked with a book.
Naturally.
“Whoa!” Rainbow ducked as the book soared overhead, disappearing out of sight and onto the ground below. However, the book hit a guard’s helmet with a *bonk* noise, followed a thud. “Twilight? What in the hay are you doing?”
Twilight, the Alicorn princess of Friendship, was currently tossing books left from right, a frantic expression on her face. “Where is it, where IS IT?!” She cried, tossing books from the shelves. “Oh I can’t believe I lost it!”
“Twi, will ya calm down some?” AJ said from the other side of the room, Rainbow saw everypony was in the room, and sighed when she realized that would cut down on her time to find everypony.
“I’m sure you’ll find it soon darling.” Rarity said with a gentle smile.
“This is very important! How could I lose it!?”
“Lose what?” Rainbow asked the mare, tilting her head.
“The book on Starswirl the Bearded’s Transmogrification Theory!” She cried as Rainbow looked at the floor, finding her cyan colored hoof on top of a book. When Rainbow moved her hoof, she saw the same title.
“This book?” Rainbow wondered, holding up the book with a grin. Before Rainbow could bask in the glory of finding an object so easily, she found the book snatched away from her grasp by an eager Twilight who hugged the book close to her like a mother would do to a child.
Twilight suddenly became aware she was being stared at, and chuckled sheepishly as she stored all of the books away with a flick of her magic. “Hehehe, let’s just forget that please?”
Rainbow chuckled as she sat down. “Hehehe,”
“So what brings ya on by Rainbow Dash?” Applejack asked the rainbow haired mare, eyes locked on Dash’s with a smile.
Chuckling, Rainbow said, “I’m here to tell you guys I’m heading on home for a bit to visit my dad.”
Those words made everypony stop laughing and look at her. Twilight looked suspicious, Rarity looked intrigued, Pinkie was eating a balloon, Fluttershy was hiding behind her mane, but still looked interested, and Applejack had an odd smile on her face.
Rainbow smiled wide, a squeaky sound happening as her eyes darted to the left and right. “What?”
“You’ve never told us about your dad before,” Pinkie stated the obvious, the balloon she had eaten inflating with each breath, and… oddly enough made her start floating around the room.
“Yes, you’ve never told us of your father, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said, appearing on Rainbow’s right. “Hmm…”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow at her friend’s invasive tendencies. “Umm… Rares?”
Rarity only smiled. “Are you sure you’re not seeing… a stallion for a different kind of reason?”
*Facehoof*
“Are you serious Rarity?” Rainbow asked her friend. “I haven’t seen my dad in five years, and some family is coming over so I thought I’d go for a visit.” I told her, it was the truth, she hadn’t seen her father in so long, and she wanted to go see him again.
Rarity however, didn’t believe her but nodded her head anyway. “Mmhmm…” The alabaster mare then turned around and walked over to the balcony, looking out into the sky leaving behind Rainbow to wonder just what the mare was up to.
“Well Ah think it’s pretty swell yer going ta go see family an’ all Rainbow Dash,” Applejack smiled, tilting her hat back. “So when ya leaving?”
“I’m thinking sometime tomorrow, I gotta get a bag ready and all that and let Spitfire I’m not going to be home.” Rainbow told her, rounding off what all she needed to do. Pack a bag, write Spitfire… that’s really all I need to do. She thought to herself, rubbing her chin. “Not much.”
“Well Ah hope you have a good time,” Applejack winked. “But hey, think you could tell us a little about yer dad?” Everypony else nodded, Rarity having come back to sit on a nearby couch.
Rainbow smiled, and then racked her brain for something to tell them… “Well, he used to be an deckhoof on a ship before I was born,” She told them, “but eventually he became a captain of his own ship with my uncle, after all that he settled down with my mom, who was a Wonderbolt and… well…” She waggled her eyebrows. “After a few saucy get-togethers, I happened.” She laughed when everypony looked disturbed.
Ignoring what Rainbow said at the end, Rarity asked, “Your father was a captain of his own ship!” Rarity put a hoof to her forehead as Spike stood by, fanning her with a clawed hand. “Oh my stars! That is amazing, what kind of ship was it?”
Again, Dash racked her brains. “I think it was a frigate or something, I’m not sure.”
“A frigate? My my, that is quite a large ship.” Rarity commented.
“What do you know about ships Rarity?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow at the fashion pony.
“I’ll have you know my grandfather was a ship captain back in his day,” Rarity huffed. “Grandpapa would always tell me stories of his voyages across the skies, how he encountered so many pirates and flew precious cargo through war zones,” She looked up at the ceiling with a forlorn expression on his face. “Oh how I do miss him, I should write him a letter sometime.”
Twilight scratched her chin, making a humming noise. “Hmm, interesting, I didn’t know your grandfather was a ship captain, let alone an airship captain.”
“Hmm yes, I’ve heard from many,” Rarity waved a hoof. “An elegant mare such as myself the descendent of a line of airship captains, quite odd.” She giggled to herself, making Rainbow tilt her head.
“My dad said his dad was an airship captain to like he was, and his dad before him.” Rainbow told the mare, who gasped with a smile.
“How quant! We both found something in common!” Rarity squealed, clapping her hooves together in happiness.
“That is something, fraid my granddaddy wasn’t an airship captain,” Applejack admitted. “He was a train operator, I don’t think any apple has ever set hoof in the sky.”
“I never met my grandpa.” Fluttershy squeaked from her place on the sofa next to Rarity. “But my daddy said he was a war hero...”
“Really?” Twilight asked, “what’s his name, maybe I know his name from the records.”
“Oh, um.. his name was…” Fluttershy muttered the name.
“I’m sorry?”
“Um… its…” Another muttering noise.
“Didn’t quite catch that.”
“… Bloody Hoof.” She squeaked, making everypony’s eyes widen.
“Whoa.” Rainbow chuckled. Wasn't expecting that!
“Bloody Hoof?” Twilight thought for a moment, gasping. “The Bloody Hoof!? He’s not just any war hero, he was the one who single-hoofedly took on an entire Griffon battalion by himself!”
Sounds of amazement came from the others, save for Fluttershy who made a show of hiding in her mane, blushing with embarrassment. “Yeah, he kinda did that.” Fluttershy said, her voice barely audible.
Rainbow chuckled, slapping the floor with a hoof. “That’s awesome Fluttershy!” She chuckled as she looked at Pinkie Pie. “What about you Pinkie Pie?”
Pinkie Pie hummed, tapping the floor with her hind hoof. “Grandpa Pie was the first pony to ever kiss Princess Celestia and get away with it!” She cheered, throwing out her arms as confetti started flying out of nowhere.
Twilight looked disturbed by that information, making a face as the others chuckled. “Uhh well… my grandfather, what little I know of him. He was a… um… pirate?” The mare sheepishly said, looking away.
All was silent… until Rainbow broke out guffawing.
“Hahahahahahahahaha!” She laughed, tears in her eyes. “Your dad was a pirate!?” The mare questioned between laughs. “That is a riot!”
“How is that funny?” Twilight asked, frowning.
“The grandchild of a pirate being a bookworm is rather,” Rarity tittered. “Ironic, in a way, I suppose.”
“Oh whatever.”
As the laughed, Rainbow wondered what stories her uncle would have to tell her when she visits home for the first time in five years. She hoped he was doing good, cause she was going to hug the stuffing out of him.
End of Chapter Two
After learning a bit more about each other in the castle, Rainbow had left to go pack a bag and write Spitfire. Said bag was sitting by the end of her bed, packed with a few things she would need, toothbrush, mane brush and some other things. She was just putting the finishing touches on her letter.
“So I hope you guys won’t need me for anything for a while, I really want to spend some time with my dad and uncle, I haven’t seen either in a really long time.
So I’ll see you whenever Spitfire, bye for now!
Your friend
Rainbow Dash.”
With a sigh, she rolled up the letter, holding it to the dragonfire candle and sending it off. Another smile made its way onto her face as she walked over to her bed. She knelt down, touching the bottom side of the bed and pulling out a tuft of cloud, revealing a hidden compartment. Reaching inside she pulled out a large looking book, and sat down on her floor, opening it up.
Inside were several pictures of herself and her dad together, during a few hoofball games and other sports Rainbow had been a part of during her youth. Turning the page, she saw a picture of her during highschool, during the last years of her life when her uncle had disappeared for some time.
She saw a picture of him standing nearby as she graduated, the stallion smiling the smile she always loved seeing on him, another picture of him was next to that one, eyes twinkling merrily as he grabbed her in a headlock, and another with him laughing as she burped louder than he did during their own little at home celebration with her dad.
One last picture had been taken that day, one her dad had somehow shot accidentally, but was still as clear as day and perfectly focused. Of her in her uncle’s arms, holding onto the stallion neck and crying, begging him not to go wherever it was he was going. A few tears left Rainbow’s eyes just thinking about that day, she wiped them away.
She had a reputation as a tough pony, not one who cried… but she allowed these few moments for tears to fall, when nopony was around to see her weak and vulnerable. With a deep sigh, she closed the book and set it in her bag, zipping it closed before hopping into bed. She climbed under the covers, snuggling in before shutting off her light.
Tomorrow’s a new day…
Chirping sounded from Dash’s window and she woke up bright and early, earlier then she usually did. She got up, climbed out of bed and down to her kitchen.
Tank was already at Fluttershy’s, so she didn’t have to worry about him while she was gone, but she still did. Rainbow walked over to her cabinet and opened it up, spotting an apple she grabbed it and took a bite out of it before looking around her kitchen.
It was quite barren, with a few empty takeout boxes sitting on the counters and floor, she needed to clean up. Something she had been meaning to do for some time, but keeps putting off. She took another bite of her apple, savoring the sweet juicy taste of the homegrown food. If AJ is good at anything, it’s growing tasty food. She nodded, finishing off her apple with another bite and tossing the core into the trash.
A sigh left her as she shook herself awake and made her way back up the stairs. Wings fluttering at her sides, she still needed to preen them, she figured she would do that after she goes to her dad’s house and gets settled in.
Once she made it back into her room, she trotted over to her bag and picked it up. The weight was manageable, and she shifted it so it hung from under her barrel and not in the way of her wings, once she was done, she left her room and went back down stairs and outside of her house.
She had bid her friends goodbye yesterday, so she had nothing stopping her.
Wings extended and a smile on her face, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and started flying up, and with a crack she flew towards Cloudsdale.
Towards home.
Cloudsdale was one of the few pegasi run cities in all of Equestria, and home to the Wonderbolts. The city was large, and home to several thousand pegasi, one of which is Rainbow’s father, who lived in one of the better neighborhoods on the cloud city.
After finding the city, she had flown through the cloud rings, past shops and stores and fellow pegasi who waved at her, she arrived at her old street. It was a long winding path with houses on either side crafted out of condensed and specially made clouds, like her home.
Landing on the walkway, she began the walk home. Some pegasi foals ran past her, giggling as they played a game of tag, others flew and some just lazed around on smaller clouds, sleeping the day away. Some may have just assumed they were lazy, but cloudwork and flying took a lot out of a Pegasus. Working the cloud busting jobs or cloud shifting duties would sometimes result in the worker getting tried, flying burned a lot of calories and made pegasi tired to the bone, hence why they slept and ate a lot.
Certainly why Rainbow does, anyway.
The walk to her home was short, as she had galloped there with the full intention of knocking down her dad and hugging him. Along with her uncle, should he be there.
However, Dash didn’t know she was being followed.
“Why would she come to this neighborhood?” An alabaster mare questioned to herself, and her four friends who trailed behind her.
“Guys, I don’t know about this.” Twilight started, following her friends. “I mean, I get that you’re curious, but is it really right to just follow Dash to her home?”
“Oh puhleeeeze darling,” Rarity tittered, holding a hoof to her mouth. “She’s obviously enamored with some young stallion and simply didn’t want to tell us anything!” She told the lavender Alicorn, wrapping an arm around said pony. “She’s using the ruse of meeting with her father to meet the stallion and throw us off!”
Applejack sighed, shaking her head. “Ah still think yer takin’ this way too seriously Rarity, why would she not tell us about meetin’ some stallion she might be crushin’ on?”
“Because she’s embarrassed Applejack!” Rarity told the country pony. “Wouldn’t you be?”
“Uh… n-”
“Of course you would!”
“Ugh.”
“Um… girls, I think she’s at the home.” Fluttershy spoke up, pointing to Rainbow Dash who had stopped at the front steps of one of the houses. Everypony stopped what they were doing, and hopping into some convenient bushes nearby.
Rainbow Dash knocked on the door, stepping back and waiting for a bit. Before she could knock again, the door opened, revealing a stallion with a short rainbow mane and a darkish blue body. The stallion smiled at the sight of Rainbow Dash, tears in his eyes as he embraced the mare.
“Oh my,” Rarity gasped, watching as the two ponies held each other. “I wasn’t aware she liked stallions who were…” When everpony turned to look at her, she cleared her throat a few times before saying, “well aged. ”
Pinkie Pie giggled while everypony else just sighed, Fluttershy however kept her eyes on the scene. “Seems like the stallion is really happy to see her, he hasn’t stopped crying.”
“Well obviously he is madly in love with her,” Rarity told the younger pony, waving a hoof. “Ooh, he’s the older widowed stallion in need of a mare’s loving embrace, and dear Rainbow Dash the mare who gives it to him! She has seen such good in his heart and sought out to take it for her own and keep it safe!” She swooned, her head thrown back as her hooves crossed over her chest.
Applejack just facehooved, “Ah swear Rarity, you’ve been reading too many romance novels.”
Rarity huffed. “Well I for one am sticking to my belief!”
“Lotta good that’ll do ya.”
“Hey!”
“Oh stop fighting you two!” Pinkie giggled, grabbing both friends and pulling them close. “Let’s watch em!”
Oh they were oh so wrong.
“I’m sorry daddy,” Rainbow said as her father held her close, tears still streaming down his face as he buried his face in the nape of her neck. “I wish I came sooner but…”
She felt him shake his head. “I understand, Dashie,” He said, his voice strained as he sniffled. “Don’t apologize, I’m just happy you came… I was scared you wouldn’t…”
She tightened her hold on the stallion, wrapping her wings around him as much as she could. “I would have come, I just got so wrapped up in everything, I didn’t…” Her own tears threatened to fall from her eyes, her voice choking up. “I’m here now though.”
The other exception to crying… was around her father.
“I’m here…”
After the tearful reunion, Rainbow Dash walked into her home with her dad leading her in. The house was the same a she remembered it, photos of her whole family were on the walls, rare pictures of her mother and father together were hanging up, and she felt a pang of pain in her heart as she turned away from them. Others she saw were of her and her uncle and dad together, all of them having fun and spending time together.
Memories she wished she could relive once more.
The living room was the same, the couch still in its place, stains from old food were still visible on it. Down one of the halls she could see the door to her old room, a banner on the front of it with her name on it in crayon. She smiled at the sight.
“So…” Blitz started, rubbing the back of his head as she looked at his daughter. “How… how long are you…?”
“Maybe a month,” She told her dad, seeing his eyes brighten she smiled. “I have a month off from the Wonderbolts and… it’s been too long since I’ve been here to spend time with you and…” She looked down at the floor, frowning as she felt shame well up in her breast. “I need to make up for lost time.”
Blitz smiled as he walked over to Rainbow and hugged her again, which she returned without hesitation. “I’m glad, Dashie, it’s been too long.”
*Knock Knock Knock*
Rainbow’s eyes shot open as she looked back at the door, Blitz as well. Both let go of one another and walked over to the door, Blitz putting a hoof on the knob and pulling it open.
Back outside… however.
“Oh my stars!” Rarity fanned herself with a hoof, “what a scandal! ”
“What are you going on about now?” Applejack as she looked up from her card game she was playing with Pinkie Pie.
“There’s another stallion in the mix!”
“Uh, what?”
“Didn’t you hear me darling?” Rarity nearly fainted. “There’s another stallion at the house! Oh I’ve never seen such, such, lewdness. ”
“Lewdness? What’s so lewd about another stallion showing up at Rainbow’s place?” Applejack asked as she threw down an ace, making Pinkie frown.
“She’s having relations with not one but two stallions! Oh good heavens they’re hugging!” Rarity conjured up her couch, falling upon it as her arm fell across her forehead. “I never thought Rainbow Dash of all ponies would be with two ponies at the same time!” She swooned once more, Spike vigorously fanning her with a small fan. “She has taken it upon herself to take both of their hearts! Or no! It is a dreaded love triangle! The new stallion is in love with the other, Rainbow the mare who loves not one but both and she cannot choose between them!”
*chirp chirp chirp*
“How did a cricket get up here?” Twilight wondered as the small green creature hopped onto Fluttershy’s nose, making the mare smile.
Now, back at the house, a few minutes earlier.
Rainbow stared at the stallion standing in the doorway, he looked just like she remembered from high school. The sky blue pelt, shaggy fetlocks and cyan blue eyes, like her pelt, the large wings and messy brown mane, and finally, the celtic knot cutie mark, he looked the exact same, save for a few wrinkles that were barely noticeable.
“U-Uncle Celt?” She asked, looking at the somewhat larger stallion.
Uncle Celt smiled as he looked at the mare. “Aye lass, its me alright.”
Without another word she lunged at him, throwing her arms around the stallion and pulling him close much like she did her father. Her sudden action caused Celt to fall down onto his behind, throwing his own arms around the mare to steady himself. Blitz came in front behind with a smile.
“You took too long to come back.” She told the pony, who only sighed.
“Aye, that’s true.”
“Welcome back, Celt.” Blitz told him, joining the hug.
Family was together once again, another tearful and happy reunion happening before the main six’s eyes even though they did not know it.
End of Chapter Three
