Sisterhoodby MitslitsChaptersFirst MeetingFlight CampReturnMemoriesEscapeStormThe WonderboltsFirst MeetingA light blue filly with a rainbow mane spread her wings and leaped into the air, off of the edge of a cloud. “Oh, no you don’t!” A cyan mare with long, flowing, orange and red mane said, closing her jaws on the filly’s tail. “You know you’re not old enough to fly yet, Rainbow Dash.” The filly indignantly landed, whisking her tail out of her mom’s mouth. “Aw, mom! I can fly. If you’d just let me-“ A rainbow colored tail whisking across her mouth silenced her. “No ifs, ands, or buts”, the mother chided. “You are not flying until you’re eight months old and that’s final.” On the last word, she stamped her hoof into the cloud. Her voice softened as she reached down to nuzzle her child. “Now go and play.” She watched the irrepressible filly bounce off across the clouds. Navy blue feathers fluttered down, catching in the orange and red mane of the cyan mother. A pegasus with a blue and green mane landed beside her, draping his wing over her shoulder. “Gotta watch out for that one”, he laughed, gesturing with his muzzle to Rainbow Dash. “She is a handful, Cloud”, Rainbow Flash sighed, leaning into his shoulder. “But I love her anyways.” Cloud Lightning smiled down at his wife. He rested his head gently on top of hers. “Get caught tryin’ to fly?” a filly with a scruffy, rainbow colored mane teased Rainbow Dash. Dash snorted. “Shut up, Spectrum!” Spectrum laughed. “Do I detect jealously, little sis?” She spread her own tiny wings, buzzing them proudly, lifting off the cloud. She zipped around her sister’s head once or twice before landing behind her. “Can’t wait until your eight months, eh? I remember how hard it was for me too”, Spectrum nodded. “But you’ll get there. Eventually.” Rainbow Dash stomped a hoof petulantly. “I don’t want to WAIT! I want to fly now.” She sat down, pouting. She looked up at the soft touch of a wing on her back, peering into the rose colored eyes of her twin sister, Daydream. Of the three, Daydream looked the most like their mother. She had the same flowing, orange and red mane and the same soft personality. Her tail was like softserve ice cream, swirled with multiple colors, like their mom. Rainbow Dash had the same eye color as their mom, but the bottom half of her mane was blue, green, and purple. Her mane was the shortest of all. Spectrum looked a lot like Rainbow Dash, but she had a slightly longer, scruffier mane. And she was two months older than the twins. “Hey, flying isn’t everything”, Daydream giggled softly. “Just be patient. Waiting will make it even more special.” Rainbow Dash stood, shaking Daydream’s wing off. “Yeah, fine. Dream, how do you do it?” she asked. Daydream blinked her big, dreamy eyes. “Do what, Dash?” “Be so calm all the time!” Dash exclaimed. “Kids!” Rainbow Flash called, looking up into the sky. It was growing dark as the sun set. “It’s time for bed.” She nuzzled Cloud Lightning as he prepared to return to his job as a Weather Patroller. “Goodbye, Cloud.” “Night, Flash”, he said, spreading his wings. Then he was gone, melting into the clouds. Rainbow Flash led her three youngsters into their house made of clouds. It wasn’t large, but it wasn’t small either. It had two stories, both expansive and roomy. The three fillies danced around her feet, tripping her up once or twice. Both times she flapped her wings to regain her balance, laughing softly. The three sisters tumbled into their room, still bouncing around and laughing together. Their mother lay down in the middle of the room and the three swarmed her. She smiled gently down at them as Daydream settled behind her. Rainbow Dash tumbled over her back, Spectrum grabbed her tail, but it was too late. She lay sprawled on the clouds, irritated with herself and her sister. That was gone in a flash as her mother laughed, helping her to her hooves. “All right, children, settle down. Are you ready for your bedtime story?” Daydream raised her little hoof. “Mommy, I want to hear the one about how you got your cutie mark!” Rainbow Flash laughed; this was the most popular bedtime story. She shifted one hind leg slightly, giving them a clearer picture of her cutie mark. It was a rainbow with a white circle of light at the end. “I was just a filly, around Spectrum’s age, when I got my cutie mark.” Spectrum did a little dance of delight. She would probably get hers soon. “I was at flight camp and it was the final day. While I was there, another pegasus came up to me and challenged me to a race. I was one of the fastest fliers, so I agreed. While we were racing, I nearly did a Sonic Rainboom, but something odd happened. Instead of creating a rainbow, all that happened was a dazzling white flash. When we finished the race, I looked down at my flank and there it was! I was so excited and so proud of myself.” Rainbow Flash finished, smiling down at her children, who were staring at her, awestruck. Three flanks came together, three sighs as all three were found to be bare. Rainbow Flash laughed. “Okay, girls, that’s enough for tonight. I love you all.” She stood, kissed each one on their forelock, and left the room. The three sisters cuddled together in one big pile. Slowly, each one drifted off to sleep. Flight CampRainbow Dash woke to a squeal of delight; rubbing her eyes with a hoof, she stood, trotting out of the room. Her two sisters were dancing together, hooves clasped, big smiles plastered on their faces. Then Daydream lurched forwards, wrapping her hooves around Spectrum’s neck, giving her a huge hug. “Congratulations!” That was when Spectrum noticed Dash. She floated over to her, wings holding her just slightly above the clouds. “Dash, guess what?” “What?” Rainbow Dash asked, a little irritated at being the last to know. Spectrum burst out laughing, grinning ear to ear. “I get to go to Junior Speedsters Flight Camp! Isn’t that great?” Without waiting for an answer, she went dancing over the clouds. Rainbow’s jaw dropped. Jealously filled her to the brim, but she went over and hugged her sister anyway. “That’s great! When are you leaving?” Rainbow Flash joined her daughters at that moment, holding a tiny scrap of paper in her mouth. “Right now. Say your goodbyes; we have to get going”, she mumbled around the paper. The three sisters embraced, Daydream even had to brush away a tear or two. “Goodbye!” Spectrum disentangled herself, grabbed the paper from her mother, and was out the door in seconds. She flew up to the two waiting pegasi who were from the camp. “Goodbye, darling!” Rainbow Flash called out, waving at her daughter. Later that night, the twins were settling down to go to sleep for the first time without their sister. As Rainbow Dash tossed and turned, envying Daydream who was sleeping soundly, she heard her father walk into the house. She leaped up, wanting to go say hi. She trotted to their door and was about to open it, but then she heard her mother. “Couldn’t you get time off today?” Rainbow Flash asked gently. Cloud Lightning shook his head. “Sorry. Busy day for storms. Why? Did something happen? Are the kids okay?” Rainbow Flash narrowed her eyes. “Cloud, I told you this was the day Spectrum went off to flight camp!” “Was that today? I completely forgot!” Cloud exclaimed, putting a hoof to his forehead. “I told you last night, before you left!” Flash retorted. “You are never here for them. Or for me.” Cloud Lightning lowered his head, glaring at his wife. “Hey, I told you, work’s been busy lately. I’m trying to get time off, okay? Just lay off about it!” It soon turned into a screaming match. Rainbow Dash heard something smash, and she shrank back from the door. Daydream woke at the noise. “Dash? Wh-what’s going on?” she asked. Rainbow started at the sound of her sister’s voice. She looked at the closed door, tears springing to her eyes. “Nothing, Dream.” As she said it, something else smashed against the door, opening it a little. Dash sprang forwards, slamming it shut. She went back to her twin, curling up with her. The two fillies spent the rest of the night snuggled up together. A storm started up later, the thunder almost drowning out their parent’s screams. As Rainbow Dash drifted in the strange place between sleep and waking, she realized that she had never needed her sisters more than she did then. Both of them. ReturnDays blended into days, weeks into weeks, and all too soon the summer was over. Spectrum was due to return the next day. On the morning of Spectrum’s return, Rainbow Dash, Daydream, and Rainbow Flash all stood in front of the house, waiting for her. Almost as soon as she landed she was surrounded by her family, being buried in hugs. “Hey, come on, lay off!” she protested, but she was laughing. “I have something to show you.” Dash and Daydream let go of her and backed up quickly. “What is it?” they asked in unison. “While I was at flight camp…I got my cutie mark!” Proudly, Spectrum turned to the side, opening her wings so they could see it more clearly. Her two sisters leaned in to get a good look at it, and Rainbow Flash draped her wing over Spectrum’s back, smiling proudly. It was an orange dot with rainbow colored flower petals circling it. “I got it when I discovered a flower that looked like this. It was near the ground and I had just flown down-“ Rainbow Flash was instantly in front of her daughter, glaring down at her. “Near the ground? Why were you down at the ground? Did the flight camp send you there?” Startled, Spectrum stumbled backwards, landing on the clouds with a soft thump. “N-no! I was just exploring”, she said quickly. “Don’t ever do that again!” Rainbow Flash reprimanded. “The ground is a horrible, scary place with monsters. Now I don’t want you to talk about this ever again”, Rainbow Flash said sternly. Tears welled up in Spectrum’s eyes. “B-but mom, this is how I got my cutie mark. Aren’t you proud of me?” Her mother softened. Pulling her close to her, she stroked her mane. “Of course I’m proud of you, sweetie. But it is also my job to protect you. I can’t do that if you go near the ground. Now, why don’t you come inside and all three of you can have daisy sandwiches and hay fries.” She turned, pushing open the door. The sisters, now not quite as excited, filed in and ate their sandwiches in silence. “So…did you meet anyone at flight camp?” Rainbow Flash asked. Spectrum perked up a bit. “Yeah! I met a griffin named Hilda.” “What’s a griffin?” Dash asked, mouth full of hay fries. She swallowed noisily. “It’s half eagle half lion”, Spectrum explained. “Hilda was really nice and she was a great flier!” Daydream and Dash spent the rest of they day pelting their big sister with questions about the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. No, she hadn’t met Windy personally; yes she did get to see the Wonderbolts perform, no besides Hilda she hadn’t made many friends and so on. She answered them all. Eventually, Rainbow Flash poked her head into their room, telling the twins to settle down and get ready for bed. “Spectrum, can I have a word with you in the living room, please?” their mother asked. The filly nodded, following Rainbow Flash out to a spacious room filled with fluffy clouds. They each sat on a separate cloud, and Spectrum turned her gaze to her mother. “What is it, mom?” “I wanted to tell you why I got so upset earlier today”, Rainbow Flash said, taking a deep breath. “When you told me about going to the ground. The truth, Spectrum, is that I’m not your real mother.” Spectrum’s jaw dropped. “Wh-what do you mean? Of course you are!” She shook her head back and forth, confused. “No. Think about it. Haven’t you ever wondered why you’re only two months older than the twins?” Rainbow Flash asked. She covered her ears with her hooves. “No. This can’t be true! It just can’t be! How could you have lied to me like this?” “I had to! I didn’t want to-to ruin this”, Flash admitted, tears springing to her eyes. “I was selfish by not telling you, just wanting to keep you with me. The reason I wouldn’t let you near the ground was because I was afraid you would find your real mother”, she confessed. Tears streamed out of Spectrum’s eyes. “Bu-but I look exactly like you!” Rainbow Flash shook her head. She put her hoof next to the filly’s. Spectrum was slightly lighter, almost white. And her mane was darker. “You are the daughter of Cloud Lightning’s sister”, Flash told her. “So, you are related.” “It’s not the same!” Spectrum screamed. “I don’t understand how you could lie to me like this. I hate you! I HATE YOU!” With that, she leaped off her cloud, galloping into Dash’s and Daydream’s room, slamming the door as hard as she could. Daydream jerked her head up. “Sis, what’s wrong?” Spectrum shook her head. “DON’T call me that. I’m not your sister. I’m adopted. I can’t believe your mom would lie to me like this. We’re not sisters anymore.” Tears dripped onto the cloud below her hooves. Dash stood, draping her tiny wing over Spectrum’s back. “We are sisters.” “Didn’t you hear me?” Spectrum whispered. “We’re not. Not really.” “Sisters aren’t defined by blood”, Dash told her. “Sisterhood is how many times you’ve been there for someone, how much you love them. How much you miss them when they’re not around. No matter what you’re our sister”, she finished. Daydream gathered them both together and hugged them, tears leaking out of her eyes as well. “You’re right”, Spectrum said, wiping the tears away. “But I can’t stay here. Not now. That’s why I’m sneaking out. And you two can come if you want”, she said, stamping her hoof. Daydream shook her head sadly. “I don’t know. We don’t even know how to fly”, she pointed out. “Then I’ll teach you! It’s not that hard”, Spectrum promised. Dash shot off the cloud, doing a small loop-the-loop. “I’m pretty good at it. I’ll help you too, Dream. But we HAVE to go with Spectrum.” Spectrum smiled widely. “We’ll leave a week from now”, she told them. Later that night, the three fillies lay with their ears pressing against their door. Their father had returned. A weary, red-eyed Rainbow Flash met him. “I told her”, she rasped. “You WHAT?” Cloud Lighting shouted. “I thought we agreed we wouldn’t ever do that!” Flash sighed. “She got her cutie mark, Cloud. It was time.” She sat down, tears falling softly. Cloud Lighting paced agitatedly. “I just can’t believe you would go back on every thing we ever agreed on”, he muttered, glaring at her. “I’m really not in the mood to fight. I’m tired of arguing all the time”, Flash sobbed. “Just drop it will you?” The stallion’s eyes blazed with anger. “Just drop it? Is that all this means to you? She’ll probably never forgive us!” he shouted. Red-rimmed eyes met his. “You think I don’t know that?” she rasped. “I have spent the entire day trying to come to grips with the fact that I have essentially lost a daughter!” “And whose fault is that?” Cloud retorted. “YOURS!” He lowered his head, suddenly exhausted. “I just hope you can live with yourself. Because I’m done.” Without another word he turned, walking out of the door, closing it with a soft click of finality. MemoriesRainbow Flash dragged herself into her room, collapsing onto her bed. In a sudden fit of anger, she screamed and flung herself at the cloud furniture, dissipating it with a few swift kicks. Her hooves connected with a small nightstand and as the cloud disappeared a solid journal fell to the floor with a soft thump. That turned Flash’s head. She picked up the journal, flipping it open with her hoof. Journal, Free Fall and I are both pregnant. Free Fall is Cloud Lightning’s sister, as you might recall. She’s two months farther along then I am. Cloud Lightning was so excited when he found out! He insisted that we go visit her as soon as we could, so we’re going to visit them a week from now. I don’t want to leave. I don’t want anyone to see me like this, I’m already so big! But Cloud wants to go, and to tell the truth, I do want to see her. She’s been such a good sister to me, despite our lack of blood relation. Oh, well, that’s sisterhood for you. Now I am getting awfully tired. Being pregnant is a lot of work, especially with triplets. Good Day. Journal, Our trip to Free Fall’s has gone on longer then we thought it would. But that’s okay. The hospital near here is better anyways, and Cloud and I have decided to just stay here until the triplets are born. Free Fall is due any day now and has already been admitted to the hospital. We’ve been visiting her everyday. Cloud and I are staying in the guest room at their house. By ‘their’ I mean Free Fall’s and her husbands house. He stays with her at the hospital most of the time and only comes home to check up on us and sleep. I have to go now, journal. Good Day. Journal, Free Fall gave birth yesterday. Her daughter looks a lot like me! She decided to name her Spectrum and hopes to be back home in two or three days. Meanwhile, I am bigger than ever, and I am yearning for the triplets to be born. Cloud and I were there for the birth. We had decided to give her a quick visit before lunch and, while we were there, she went into labor. Free Fall didn’t stay that way for long. Within two hours, she brought a happy, healthy baby into the world. Cloud and I didn’t stay too long after that, because Free was so tired. I’m getting a craving for hay fries. Good Day. Journal, My babies have been born. I went into labor two weeks ago, and I gave birth to two fillies and a colt. Both daughters look like me, but my son favors his father. I have decided to name my more active filly Rainbow Dash, for she reminds me of myself when I was younger. The other filly is practically a carbon copy of me, but she is very inactive and the loveliest angel ever. I have decided to name her Daydream. Cloud Lightning likes Dash because she looks a bit like him and a bit like me too, but I can tell he likes my son best. He even wanted to name him, so of course, I let him. He named him Blazing Glory. Typical of my husband to expect so much from a tiny little colt who can barely roll over onto his stomach. But I love him anyway. I have to go now, journal. Good Day. Journal, He’s gone. Gone forever. I can’t believe it. I don’t know what to do. I just don’t know. Cloud is extremely upset and so am I. I haven’t left my room for three days. I don’t know how to go on. Maybe I should explain. I’ll do the best I can. It’s been two months since the last time I wrote in here. And in those two months…Blazing Glory died. He got sick. So, so sick. There was nothing anypony could do. We tried everything. He had to stay in the hospital for a week, but they could do nothing. Absolutely nothing. And now he is gone. Forever. Free Fall is watching Dash and Daydream for me, as I find it hard to focus on even the simplest task at the moment. Cloud left a few days ago; I don’t know where. I can only hope that he comes back. Oh Dear Celestia, why does this happen? He was so young, so innocent. He had just said his first word. “Cloud”, he said, staring straight at his father. I will never, can never forget him. Dear Journal, I cannot possibly leave you with my usual farewell, as I can no longer see any good days in my future. Goodbye. Journal, There is no rest for the weary. Cloud returned, because he heard a piece of bad news. His sister, Free Fall had fallen ill. I feared for my daughters, so I immediately went to her house. Cloud, her husband, and I did everything we could, but she was struck with the same disease that claimed my son. We were devastated when she passed on. Her husband was especially distraught, as he had every right to be. He killed himself a day or two later, leaving Spectrum an orphan. Cloud and I discussed it, though there was not much to discuss. We couldn’t leave her there with no one to care for her, so we adopted her and decided to raise her as our own. She’ll be a good sister to the trip- twins. Goodbye. Rainbow Flash sighed, tears dripping onto the pages to join the old stains. She could recall all the grief she had felt and a fresh wave surged over her as she remembered how estranged Spectrum was now. Flash felt even worse when she thought of how Cloud was gone. This time, he was unlikely to come back. The pegasus mare melted into tears, trying to drown her sorrow in the tears that flowed freely. EscapeDash settled deep down into the clouds, unable to lie still. Tonight was the night they would make their escape. She was, by now, a decent flier, and even Daydream was able to hold her own. Her mother eased open the door, coming in and checking on them, kissing their forelocks. When she got to Spectrum, however, she just gazed down at her. Then she left the room, softly closing the door behind her. As soon as she did, Spectrum was up and moving. She planted her hooves next to the wall leading to the night sky outside. She bucked backwards, creating a hole big enough for them to fly through. “Are you two ready?” she whispered. Daydream and Rainbow Dash nodded. Spectrum went first, leaping out and opening her wings, flapping them lightly as she hovered just outside. “Come on.” Rainbow Dash steadied herself, perching right on the edge of the cloud. She gulped. The filly had never flown in open space before and she was getting increasingly nervous. Closing her eyes, Dash allowed herself to tumble out of the hole, flipping over a couple of times before she got her wings open. Then she was flying, flapping her wings and soaring up to join her sister. And it was incredible. Rainbow Dash felt a rush of pure adrenaline surge through her as she felt the crisp night air stir each individual feather on her wing. She felt as if she was practically floating and the air was the perfect cushion. Dash knew instinctively that this was what she was meant to do. Fly. “Come on, Dream! This is absolutely incredible!” she exclaimed, watching her sister hesitate. With a squeak, she joined her twin in the air and the three fillies took a moment to enjoy their small victory. Then they were off, knowing they had to move or risk getting caught. Spectrum led them in the direction of the Flight Camp. It was half a night’s flight and would be deserted for the rest of the year until summer came again. Gasping for breath, Dash and Daydream alighted in the arena of the flight camp. They had not expected the flight to take so much out of them and they sank gratefully into the puffy softness of the wide expanse of cloud. “You two get some sleep. I’m gonna watch for Mo- Rainbow Flash and make sure she doesn’t come after us”, Spectrum told them. “I’ll wake you if she comes.” The twins snuggled into each other, the last thing they saw the silhouette of their sister, wings spread, standing in front of them, gazing out over the night sky. The dawn came bright and rosy illuminating three gently snoring fillies all cuddled up together. Rainbow Flash blinked as the sunlight streamed into her window and she turned over groggily, struggling to get out of her bed. Her mane and tail hung lank and lifeless as she tiptoed to the fillies’ room. She opened the door quietly. Then she gasped. Flash ran to the hole in the wall, peering out of it frantically. “Dashie! Dream! Spectrum!” she shrieked. Terrified, she raced out of the front door, leaping off the cloud, wings striking out. She fled to the hole, looking around for any trace of them, but the air held no clues for her. “NO!” “What are you doing?” a voice called out. The frantic mare whipped around. “Cloud? What are you doing here?” Cloud Lightning hovered just over the roof of the house, staring down at the disheveled pegasus below him. “I just came to collect my things. Why are you screaming at a wall?” “The children are missing”, Rainbow Flash sobbed, tears coming thick and fast. Cloud sighed, landing lightly on the top of the house. “I knew this was going to happen. I’m sorry, but you brought this on yourself. I can’t do anything to help you”, he said softly. The mare glared up at him, fiery rage burning in her eyes. “You’re their FATHER! You have to help me!” she shrieked. “No, I don’t”, the stallion said firmly shaking his head. “Fine”, Flash spat, voice low and menacing. “I’m going to look for MY kids. You stay here and rot for all I care!” With that, she was off like a shot, cloud shooting up in her wake. Cloud Lightning shook his head wearily. He flapped his wings, lifting off of the roof. He headed the opposite way from his former mate, scanning the clouds, looking for any sign of the fillies despite himself. With a sudden flash of inspiration, he changed direction and headed for the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. Spectrum’s eyes shot open. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind woke her and she scanned the skies around her. Fear caught in her throat as she saw a small speck rapidly closing the distance between them. “Wake up!” she said urgently, prodding the twins with her hoof. “Wake up!” The two awoke slowly until they too saw the approaching danger. The three fillies raced across the clouds, pitching themselves off the opposite side of the cloud. They pushed themselves to go even faster, occasionally glancing back over their shoulders. It was obvious that the pegasus had spotted them; he was rapidly coming into focus. “Move!” Spectrum shouted, close to panic. She got behind Daydream, pushing her along as fast as she could. Dash flapped her wings faster, taking a moment to appreciate the shot of adrenaline that came with the speed. Eventually, it became evident that they could not out-fly the much more experienced pegasus. The three fillies looked around desperately for a hiding place, but they could find nothing. That’s when Dash spotted it. Only a few feet ahead, a massive gray cloudbank loomed over them. “In there! We can hide in the clouds!” Dash shouted as the wind picked up. Spectrum nodded, steering the reluctant Daydream forwards. The three sisters sped up a little and soon they were flying straight into the heart of the cloudbank. StormThe small fillies soon lost themselves in the cloudbank. They knew no pegasus would find them there, no matter how hard they looked. Spectrum heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you two for coming with me. You didn’t have to, you know. I’m glad you did, though. I wouldn’t have liked doing this on my own.” Dash and Daydream simply snuggled up on either side of her. Spectrum covered their backs with her wings. Yawning, and surrounded by the fluffy gray clouds, all three settled in to catch up on their sleep. A flash of lightning woke them. Thunder rumbled underneath their hooves as all three leapt up. “We have to get out of here!” Spectrum shouted as another lightning bolt struck nearby. Rainbow Dash shrieked as she felt her tail singed by the electricity in the clouds. Panicked, she raced off, as far away from the lightning as she could get. She galloped blindly, dodging thunder and lightning, barreling through the cloudbank until she was suddenly free of the choking gray mass. She spread her wings, flying rapidly away from the murderous storm clouds. The filly heaved a sigh of relief. “Whew, that was close, wasn’t it Spectrum?” Only silence greeted her. “Spectrum? Dream?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking around wildly. Panic and fear gripped her heart and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t see them anywhere. “Daydream! SPECTRUM!” she shrieked, zipping around the cloud. A large bolt of lightning struck near her, almost hitting her. The filly lost control, spiraling downwards. She hit the ground hard and was struck unconscious. When Rainbow Dash awoke, she rubbed her head, trying to ease the splitting headache she now had. Remembering what happened just before she fell, the filly leaped to her hooves, immediately regretting it as her head protested. She slowly sank to the ground, coddling her head in her hooves. Dash looked toward the sky. The storm clouds had moved on and the skies were clear and blue once again. Once a few hours had passed, Rainbow could once again move without her head complaining. The filly panicked when she realized she was on the ground. Her mother’s words about the dangers of earth rang in her ears. She spread her wings shakily, not yet fully recovered from the shock she had received from the lightning. Flapping them gingerly, she lifted into the air. Once she was flying, she scanned the air, looking for her sisters. After she had been looking for twenty minutes, she began to panic. She knew she couldn’t survive on her own. Dash continued her search for another hour before she knew she had to land. Her hooves touched the ground and she collapsed into tears. In her heart, she knew her sisters were gone. There was no way they could have survived that storm, unless they too had made it out of the cloudbank. Once she had cried herself out, she clung to the small shred of hope that they had made it out. Dash figured that they would have flown home, as scared as they would have been. Strength flowed back to her limbs and Rainbow Dash took to the skies. She remembered the way back well enough; soon she was lighting onto the clouds near her home. She trotted in, expecting her mother to be sobbing in the living room. Another burst of panic blossomed within Dash as she found her home deserted. Frantically, she checked every room, but she found no one. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she wouldn’t give up yet. Her body, however, was not as strong as her will. Her wings screamed in pain and every muscle ached. Rainbow Dash was forced to rest. The next day, it was again storming. Rain drenched the window pains and thunder rumbled ominously. Terrified, Rainbow Dash huddled in the middle of the living room, as far from the windows as she could get. She decided she had to face her fears, so she stood and walked outside. Straightening up, she glared at the dark storm clouds above her head. “You won’t have taken them from me!” she yelled. “I WILL find them!” With that, Dash spread her cramped wings and leaped into the rain. Spluttering and coughing from the rain, she soared upwards, fighting the fear rising in her heart. Gritting her teeth, Rainbow zipped into the cloudbank. She dodged lightning and yelled at the thunder as she searched desperately for her sisters. Eventually, even the valiant Rainbow Dash had to admit that they weren’t there. She let herself flutter back to her house, wings barely able to keep her aloft. Curling up by herself, she cried herself to sleep. When she awoke the next morning, the filly knew there was only one place left she could look. The ground. Gulping down her terror, she let herself coast down. Dash could not bring herself to touch the ground, so she flew a few feet above it. Her search encompassed six miles each way; she flew in a large ring around the house. She found nothing. Absolutely nothing. The filly spent almost a year on her own, surviving off of what was left in the house. Sometimes she would stare out the windows, hoping to see mother, father, or sister returning. But nopony ever came. Rainbow Flash had left to live with Cloud Lightning’s sister. Cloud himself, had not been seen since the day he left to look for his daughters. Rainbow Dash grew bigger, her wings grew stronger. One day, there was a knock on her door. She could barely contain her excitement. Wings buzzing, she raced to the door, throwing it open, a large grin on her face. Her smile dropped when she saw that it was a stranger. “Hello”, the pegasus said kindly. “Are your parents home?” Dash shook her head. The pegasus was taken a little aback. “Oh. Well, I’m a scout for the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. I was wondering if you’d like to enroll for this summer.” “One moment, please”, Rainbow whispered. She trotted into the room that she had shared with her sisters. Opening a drawer, she found the ribbons that Daydream had so loved to wear. With hooves quick as the lightning that had taken her sisters, she wove it into her mane. Then she joined the scout at the door. “Yes, please.” The pegasus smiled. “Great! I’m Cloud Dancer by the way. Are you ready to go?” Rainbow Dash took one last look at the now deserted house. Taking a deep breath, she unfurled her wings. “Yes.” The WonderboltsWhen Dash woke the next morning, the first thing she did was listen. She didn’t know exactly what she was listening for, she just knew she didn’t want to walk out into a scene like the previous nights. Once she had satisfied herself that all was quiet, she stood and stretched, making sure not to wake Daydream who was still sleeping peacefully. There was a soft knock at the door. Rainbow Dash winced as Daydream raised her head, blinking the sleep from her eyes. She yawned, exposing her tiny pink tongue and small white teeth. “Come in!” Rainbow called out. Rainbow Flash entered, smiling at the two fillies. “How are you this morning, darlings?” Dash and Daydream shared a look. In that look, they promised they would keep last night to themselves. “It was fine!” Rainbow piped up, plastering a forced smile on her face. Daydream nodded enthusiastically, backing her up. Their mom smiled back at them. “Great! And since I figured you two would be missing your sister, I planned a surprise. Go eat breakfast, and then we’ll be on our way.” The two pegasi fillies dashed out to their small kitchen. They both gobbled down Hay-Tarts and zipped back to their mother. “We’re ready!” Rainbow Dash grinned, hopping up and down in anticipation. “Oh, no you’re not”, Rainbow Flash laughed softly. “Look at your mane! You’re a mess. And, Daydream, your tail is a disaster. Go clean yourselves up, then we can go.” She smiled to herself as the two fillies raced off to do her bidding. They both reported back to her, practically shining. Flash raised a hoof to shield her eyes, pretending that they were blinding her. “Oh, my! You two are ready to go anywhere. How about we go see…the Wonderbolts?” Rainbow Dash’s eyes expanded until they nearly filled her whole head, and her jaw dropped open. “The W-w-wonderbolts?!” She squealed in delight. Daydream smiled at her mother. “Thanks, mom.” Soon the small family was sitting in the fifth row, the two fillies bouncing up and down in their seats. Flash smiled at her two children. “Oh, look, they’re about to start!” A horn blasted out and five ponies in blue and yellow suits took their places at the starting line. Rainbow leaned forwards, straining her neck. “Oh! Look, that’s Skyflier! And Cloudspinner! And, oo, oo, that’s Windy!” She pointed at each one with her hoof as she named them. A sharp crack and the pegasi were off. Windy instantly took first place, keeping that lead throughout the entire race. When she won, the crowd erupted with noise, cheers ringing out everywhere. Rainbow Dash leaped up, cheering and whooping and hollering so much that she didn’t notice her mom and Daydream were going to leave until Flash tapped her in the head with her wing. “Come on, slowpoke!” Daydream teased. The crowd was large and Rainbow Dash wanted to take in everything about the place where she had personally seen the Wonderbolts. Eventually, she slowed, looking around her. She didn’t notice when Daydream and Rainbow Flash pulled ahead in the crowd. She didn’t notice when she became utterly lost. The next time she looked ahead the crowd was as thick as ever, and her mom wasn’t in sight. “Mom!” she screamed frantically. “MOMMY!” The filly desperately tore through the crowd, stumbling and tripping, tears streaming down her face. None of the pegasi around her paid her any attention. They just walked right on by, ignoring her cries. “So, Dashie, did you like the race?” Rainbow Flash asked. She waited for a reply. And waited. And waited. “Dashie?” Turning, she realized she couldn’t see her daughter anywhere. “DASHIE! RAINBOW DASH!” she screamed frantically. Daydream, startled and panicked by their mother’s frenzied voice, began to cry. Rainbow Flash plucked Daydream off of the clouds by the nape of her neck, tossing her onto her back. “Wrap your hooves around my neck and don’t let go”, she commanded sternly, spreading her wings. With a few beats she was off the ground, soaring above the crowd, scanning it for her little filly. The missing pegasus was still racing through the crowd, getting under hooves and tripping up more than a few ponies. She turned her head from one side to the other, eyes flicking over every pony in the crowd. Dash smacked into something small and furry and both fillies went flying. When she stood up, she came face to face with a tiny, long-legged yellow pegasus filly with light pink mane and tail. “Sorry”, the new pegasus whispered, covering one eye with her mane. Rainbow Dash’s frightened eyes met the green eyes of the new filly. “Help me. I can’t find my mommy.” She started to cry even harder, tears spilling unchecked down her face. “I’m Fluttershy”, Fluttershy said softly, responding instinctively to a creature in distress. She extended her small wing, draping it as best she could over Dash’s back. “Where was the last place you saw your mommy?” she asked in a soothing voice. “R-row five”, Rainbow Dash said, wiping her eyes with the back of a hoof. The two fillies got to their hooves, threading their way through the crowd, back to row five. When they got there, a very frazzled Rainbow Flash and a still crying Daydream met them. All three embraced, Flash holding Dash as close as she possibly could. “Don’t you dare ever do anything like that again, do you hear me? I was so scared!” Fluttershy melted wordlessly back into the crowd, not wanting to interrupt. Rainbow Flash wiped Rainbow Dash’s eyes gently. “Come on. Let’s get back home. It’s been a long day.” The two fillies fell asleep almost instantly when they got home. Rainbow Flash closed their door quietly.
First MeetingA light blue filly with a rainbow mane spread her wings and leaped into the air, off of the edge of a cloud. “Oh, no you don’t!” A cyan mare with long, flowing, orange and red mane said, closing her jaws on the filly’s tail. “You know you’re not old enough to fly yet, Rainbow Dash.” The filly indignantly landed, whisking her tail out of her mom’s mouth. “Aw, mom! I can fly. If you’d just let me-“ A rainbow colored tail whisking across her mouth silenced her. “No ifs, ands, or buts”, the mother chided. “You are not flying until you’re eight months old and that’s final.” On the last word, she stamped her hoof into the cloud. Her voice softened as she reached down to nuzzle her child. “Now go and play.” She watched the irrepressible filly bounce off across the clouds. Navy blue feathers fluttered down, catching in the orange and red mane of the cyan mother. A pegasus with a blue and green mane landed beside her, draping his wing over her shoulder. “Gotta watch out for that one”, he laughed, gesturing with his muzzle to Rainbow Dash. “She is a handful, Cloud”, Rainbow Flash sighed, leaning into his shoulder. “But I love her anyways.” Cloud Lightning smiled down at his wife. He rested his head gently on top of hers. “Get caught tryin’ to fly?” a filly with a scruffy, rainbow colored mane teased Rainbow Dash. Dash snorted. “Shut up, Spectrum!” Spectrum laughed. “Do I detect jealously, little sis?” She spread her own tiny wings, buzzing them proudly, lifting off the cloud. She zipped around her sister’s head once or twice before landing behind her. “Can’t wait until your eight months, eh? I remember how hard it was for me too”, Spectrum nodded. “But you’ll get there. Eventually.” Rainbow Dash stomped a hoof petulantly. “I don’t want to WAIT! I want to fly now.” She sat down, pouting. She looked up at the soft touch of a wing on her back, peering into the rose colored eyes of her twin sister, Daydream. Of the three, Daydream looked the most like their mother. She had the same flowing, orange and red mane and the same soft personality. Her tail was like softserve ice cream, swirled with multiple colors, like their mom. Rainbow Dash had the same eye color as their mom, but the bottom half of her mane was blue, green, and purple. Her mane was the shortest of all. Spectrum looked a lot like Rainbow Dash, but she had a slightly longer, scruffier mane. And she was two months older than the twins. “Hey, flying isn’t everything”, Daydream giggled softly. “Just be patient. Waiting will make it even more special.” Rainbow Dash stood, shaking Daydream’s wing off. “Yeah, fine. Dream, how do you do it?” she asked. Daydream blinked her big, dreamy eyes. “Do what, Dash?” “Be so calm all the time!” Dash exclaimed. “Kids!” Rainbow Flash called, looking up into the sky. It was growing dark as the sun set. “It’s time for bed.” She nuzzled Cloud Lightning as he prepared to return to his job as a Weather Patroller. “Goodbye, Cloud.” “Night, Flash”, he said, spreading his wings. Then he was gone, melting into the clouds. Rainbow Flash led her three youngsters into their house made of clouds. It wasn’t large, but it wasn’t small either. It had two stories, both expansive and roomy. The three fillies danced around her feet, tripping her up once or twice. Both times she flapped her wings to regain her balance, laughing softly. The three sisters tumbled into their room, still bouncing around and laughing together. Their mother lay down in the middle of the room and the three swarmed her. She smiled gently down at them as Daydream settled behind her. Rainbow Dash tumbled over her back, Spectrum grabbed her tail, but it was too late. She lay sprawled on the clouds, irritated with herself and her sister. That was gone in a flash as her mother laughed, helping her to her hooves. “All right, children, settle down. Are you ready for your bedtime story?” Daydream raised her little hoof. “Mommy, I want to hear the one about how you got your cutie mark!” Rainbow Flash laughed; this was the most popular bedtime story. She shifted one hind leg slightly, giving them a clearer picture of her cutie mark. It was a rainbow with a white circle of light at the end. “I was just a filly, around Spectrum’s age, when I got my cutie mark.” Spectrum did a little dance of delight. She would probably get hers soon. “I was at flight camp and it was the final day. While I was there, another pegasus came up to me and challenged me to a race. I was one of the fastest fliers, so I agreed. While we were racing, I nearly did a Sonic Rainboom, but something odd happened. Instead of creating a rainbow, all that happened was a dazzling white flash. When we finished the race, I looked down at my flank and there it was! I was so excited and so proud of myself.” Rainbow Flash finished, smiling down at her children, who were staring at her, awestruck. Three flanks came together, three sighs as all three were found to be bare. Rainbow Flash laughed. “Okay, girls, that’s enough for tonight. I love you all.” She stood, kissed each one on their forelock, and left the room. The three sisters cuddled together in one big pile. Slowly, each one drifted off to sleep.
Flight CampRainbow Dash woke to a squeal of delight; rubbing her eyes with a hoof, she stood, trotting out of the room. Her two sisters were dancing together, hooves clasped, big smiles plastered on their faces. Then Daydream lurched forwards, wrapping her hooves around Spectrum’s neck, giving her a huge hug. “Congratulations!” That was when Spectrum noticed Dash. She floated over to her, wings holding her just slightly above the clouds. “Dash, guess what?” “What?” Rainbow Dash asked, a little irritated at being the last to know. Spectrum burst out laughing, grinning ear to ear. “I get to go to Junior Speedsters Flight Camp! Isn’t that great?” Without waiting for an answer, she went dancing over the clouds. Rainbow’s jaw dropped. Jealously filled her to the brim, but she went over and hugged her sister anyway. “That’s great! When are you leaving?” Rainbow Flash joined her daughters at that moment, holding a tiny scrap of paper in her mouth. “Right now. Say your goodbyes; we have to get going”, she mumbled around the paper. The three sisters embraced, Daydream even had to brush away a tear or two. “Goodbye!” Spectrum disentangled herself, grabbed the paper from her mother, and was out the door in seconds. She flew up to the two waiting pegasi who were from the camp. “Goodbye, darling!” Rainbow Flash called out, waving at her daughter. Later that night, the twins were settling down to go to sleep for the first time without their sister. As Rainbow Dash tossed and turned, envying Daydream who was sleeping soundly, she heard her father walk into the house. She leaped up, wanting to go say hi. She trotted to their door and was about to open it, but then she heard her mother. “Couldn’t you get time off today?” Rainbow Flash asked gently. Cloud Lightning shook his head. “Sorry. Busy day for storms. Why? Did something happen? Are the kids okay?” Rainbow Flash narrowed her eyes. “Cloud, I told you this was the day Spectrum went off to flight camp!” “Was that today? I completely forgot!” Cloud exclaimed, putting a hoof to his forehead. “I told you last night, before you left!” Flash retorted. “You are never here for them. Or for me.” Cloud Lightning lowered his head, glaring at his wife. “Hey, I told you, work’s been busy lately. I’m trying to get time off, okay? Just lay off about it!” It soon turned into a screaming match. Rainbow Dash heard something smash, and she shrank back from the door. Daydream woke at the noise. “Dash? Wh-what’s going on?” she asked. Rainbow started at the sound of her sister’s voice. She looked at the closed door, tears springing to her eyes. “Nothing, Dream.” As she said it, something else smashed against the door, opening it a little. Dash sprang forwards, slamming it shut. She went back to her twin, curling up with her. The two fillies spent the rest of the night snuggled up together. A storm started up later, the thunder almost drowning out their parent’s screams. As Rainbow Dash drifted in the strange place between sleep and waking, she realized that she had never needed her sisters more than she did then. Both of them.
ReturnDays blended into days, weeks into weeks, and all too soon the summer was over. Spectrum was due to return the next day. On the morning of Spectrum’s return, Rainbow Dash, Daydream, and Rainbow Flash all stood in front of the house, waiting for her. Almost as soon as she landed she was surrounded by her family, being buried in hugs. “Hey, come on, lay off!” she protested, but she was laughing. “I have something to show you.” Dash and Daydream let go of her and backed up quickly. “What is it?” they asked in unison. “While I was at flight camp…I got my cutie mark!” Proudly, Spectrum turned to the side, opening her wings so they could see it more clearly. Her two sisters leaned in to get a good look at it, and Rainbow Flash draped her wing over Spectrum’s back, smiling proudly. It was an orange dot with rainbow colored flower petals circling it. “I got it when I discovered a flower that looked like this. It was near the ground and I had just flown down-“ Rainbow Flash was instantly in front of her daughter, glaring down at her. “Near the ground? Why were you down at the ground? Did the flight camp send you there?” Startled, Spectrum stumbled backwards, landing on the clouds with a soft thump. “N-no! I was just exploring”, she said quickly. “Don’t ever do that again!” Rainbow Flash reprimanded. “The ground is a horrible, scary place with monsters. Now I don’t want you to talk about this ever again”, Rainbow Flash said sternly. Tears welled up in Spectrum’s eyes. “B-but mom, this is how I got my cutie mark. Aren’t you proud of me?” Her mother softened. Pulling her close to her, she stroked her mane. “Of course I’m proud of you, sweetie. But it is also my job to protect you. I can’t do that if you go near the ground. Now, why don’t you come inside and all three of you can have daisy sandwiches and hay fries.” She turned, pushing open the door. The sisters, now not quite as excited, filed in and ate their sandwiches in silence. “So…did you meet anyone at flight camp?” Rainbow Flash asked. Spectrum perked up a bit. “Yeah! I met a griffin named Hilda.” “What’s a griffin?” Dash asked, mouth full of hay fries. She swallowed noisily. “It’s half eagle half lion”, Spectrum explained. “Hilda was really nice and she was a great flier!” Daydream and Dash spent the rest of they day pelting their big sister with questions about the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. No, she hadn’t met Windy personally; yes she did get to see the Wonderbolts perform, no besides Hilda she hadn’t made many friends and so on. She answered them all. Eventually, Rainbow Flash poked her head into their room, telling the twins to settle down and get ready for bed. “Spectrum, can I have a word with you in the living room, please?” their mother asked. The filly nodded, following Rainbow Flash out to a spacious room filled with fluffy clouds. They each sat on a separate cloud, and Spectrum turned her gaze to her mother. “What is it, mom?” “I wanted to tell you why I got so upset earlier today”, Rainbow Flash said, taking a deep breath. “When you told me about going to the ground. The truth, Spectrum, is that I’m not your real mother.” Spectrum’s jaw dropped. “Wh-what do you mean? Of course you are!” She shook her head back and forth, confused. “No. Think about it. Haven’t you ever wondered why you’re only two months older than the twins?” Rainbow Flash asked. She covered her ears with her hooves. “No. This can’t be true! It just can’t be! How could you have lied to me like this?” “I had to! I didn’t want to-to ruin this”, Flash admitted, tears springing to her eyes. “I was selfish by not telling you, just wanting to keep you with me. The reason I wouldn’t let you near the ground was because I was afraid you would find your real mother”, she confessed. Tears streamed out of Spectrum’s eyes. “Bu-but I look exactly like you!” Rainbow Flash shook her head. She put her hoof next to the filly’s. Spectrum was slightly lighter, almost white. And her mane was darker. “You are the daughter of Cloud Lightning’s sister”, Flash told her. “So, you are related.” “It’s not the same!” Spectrum screamed. “I don’t understand how you could lie to me like this. I hate you! I HATE YOU!” With that, she leaped off her cloud, galloping into Dash’s and Daydream’s room, slamming the door as hard as she could. Daydream jerked her head up. “Sis, what’s wrong?” Spectrum shook her head. “DON’T call me that. I’m not your sister. I’m adopted. I can’t believe your mom would lie to me like this. We’re not sisters anymore.” Tears dripped onto the cloud below her hooves. Dash stood, draping her tiny wing over Spectrum’s back. “We are sisters.” “Didn’t you hear me?” Spectrum whispered. “We’re not. Not really.” “Sisters aren’t defined by blood”, Dash told her. “Sisterhood is how many times you’ve been there for someone, how much you love them. How much you miss them when they’re not around. No matter what you’re our sister”, she finished. Daydream gathered them both together and hugged them, tears leaking out of her eyes as well. “You’re right”, Spectrum said, wiping the tears away. “But I can’t stay here. Not now. That’s why I’m sneaking out. And you two can come if you want”, she said, stamping her hoof. Daydream shook her head sadly. “I don’t know. We don’t even know how to fly”, she pointed out. “Then I’ll teach you! It’s not that hard”, Spectrum promised. Dash shot off the cloud, doing a small loop-the-loop. “I’m pretty good at it. I’ll help you too, Dream. But we HAVE to go with Spectrum.” Spectrum smiled widely. “We’ll leave a week from now”, she told them. Later that night, the three fillies lay with their ears pressing against their door. Their father had returned. A weary, red-eyed Rainbow Flash met him. “I told her”, she rasped. “You WHAT?” Cloud Lighting shouted. “I thought we agreed we wouldn’t ever do that!” Flash sighed. “She got her cutie mark, Cloud. It was time.” She sat down, tears falling softly. Cloud Lighting paced agitatedly. “I just can’t believe you would go back on every thing we ever agreed on”, he muttered, glaring at her. “I’m really not in the mood to fight. I’m tired of arguing all the time”, Flash sobbed. “Just drop it will you?” The stallion’s eyes blazed with anger. “Just drop it? Is that all this means to you? She’ll probably never forgive us!” he shouted. Red-rimmed eyes met his. “You think I don’t know that?” she rasped. “I have spent the entire day trying to come to grips with the fact that I have essentially lost a daughter!” “And whose fault is that?” Cloud retorted. “YOURS!” He lowered his head, suddenly exhausted. “I just hope you can live with yourself. Because I’m done.” Without another word he turned, walking out of the door, closing it with a soft click of finality.
MemoriesRainbow Flash dragged herself into her room, collapsing onto her bed. In a sudden fit of anger, she screamed and flung herself at the cloud furniture, dissipating it with a few swift kicks. Her hooves connected with a small nightstand and as the cloud disappeared a solid journal fell to the floor with a soft thump. That turned Flash’s head. She picked up the journal, flipping it open with her hoof. Journal, Free Fall and I are both pregnant. Free Fall is Cloud Lightning’s sister, as you might recall. She’s two months farther along then I am. Cloud Lightning was so excited when he found out! He insisted that we go visit her as soon as we could, so we’re going to visit them a week from now. I don’t want to leave. I don’t want anyone to see me like this, I’m already so big! But Cloud wants to go, and to tell the truth, I do want to see her. She’s been such a good sister to me, despite our lack of blood relation. Oh, well, that’s sisterhood for you. Now I am getting awfully tired. Being pregnant is a lot of work, especially with triplets. Good Day. Journal, Our trip to Free Fall’s has gone on longer then we thought it would. But that’s okay. The hospital near here is better anyways, and Cloud and I have decided to just stay here until the triplets are born. Free Fall is due any day now and has already been admitted to the hospital. We’ve been visiting her everyday. Cloud and I are staying in the guest room at their house. By ‘their’ I mean Free Fall’s and her husbands house. He stays with her at the hospital most of the time and only comes home to check up on us and sleep. I have to go now, journal. Good Day. Journal, Free Fall gave birth yesterday. Her daughter looks a lot like me! She decided to name her Spectrum and hopes to be back home in two or three days. Meanwhile, I am bigger than ever, and I am yearning for the triplets to be born. Cloud and I were there for the birth. We had decided to give her a quick visit before lunch and, while we were there, she went into labor. Free Fall didn’t stay that way for long. Within two hours, she brought a happy, healthy baby into the world. Cloud and I didn’t stay too long after that, because Free was so tired. I’m getting a craving for hay fries. Good Day. Journal, My babies have been born. I went into labor two weeks ago, and I gave birth to two fillies and a colt. Both daughters look like me, but my son favors his father. I have decided to name my more active filly Rainbow Dash, for she reminds me of myself when I was younger. The other filly is practically a carbon copy of me, but she is very inactive and the loveliest angel ever. I have decided to name her Daydream. Cloud Lightning likes Dash because she looks a bit like him and a bit like me too, but I can tell he likes my son best. He even wanted to name him, so of course, I let him. He named him Blazing Glory. Typical of my husband to expect so much from a tiny little colt who can barely roll over onto his stomach. But I love him anyway. I have to go now, journal. Good Day. Journal, He’s gone. Gone forever. I can’t believe it. I don’t know what to do. I just don’t know. Cloud is extremely upset and so am I. I haven’t left my room for three days. I don’t know how to go on. Maybe I should explain. I’ll do the best I can. It’s been two months since the last time I wrote in here. And in those two months…Blazing Glory died. He got sick. So, so sick. There was nothing anypony could do. We tried everything. He had to stay in the hospital for a week, but they could do nothing. Absolutely nothing. And now he is gone. Forever. Free Fall is watching Dash and Daydream for me, as I find it hard to focus on even the simplest task at the moment. Cloud left a few days ago; I don’t know where. I can only hope that he comes back. Oh Dear Celestia, why does this happen? He was so young, so innocent. He had just said his first word. “Cloud”, he said, staring straight at his father. I will never, can never forget him. Dear Journal, I cannot possibly leave you with my usual farewell, as I can no longer see any good days in my future. Goodbye. Journal, There is no rest for the weary. Cloud returned, because he heard a piece of bad news. His sister, Free Fall had fallen ill. I feared for my daughters, so I immediately went to her house. Cloud, her husband, and I did everything we could, but she was struck with the same disease that claimed my son. We were devastated when she passed on. Her husband was especially distraught, as he had every right to be. He killed himself a day or two later, leaving Spectrum an orphan. Cloud and I discussed it, though there was not much to discuss. We couldn’t leave her there with no one to care for her, so we adopted her and decided to raise her as our own. She’ll be a good sister to the trip- twins. Goodbye. Rainbow Flash sighed, tears dripping onto the pages to join the old stains. She could recall all the grief she had felt and a fresh wave surged over her as she remembered how estranged Spectrum was now. Flash felt even worse when she thought of how Cloud was gone. This time, he was unlikely to come back. The pegasus mare melted into tears, trying to drown her sorrow in the tears that flowed freely.
EscapeDash settled deep down into the clouds, unable to lie still. Tonight was the night they would make their escape. She was, by now, a decent flier, and even Daydream was able to hold her own. Her mother eased open the door, coming in and checking on them, kissing their forelocks. When she got to Spectrum, however, she just gazed down at her. Then she left the room, softly closing the door behind her. As soon as she did, Spectrum was up and moving. She planted her hooves next to the wall leading to the night sky outside. She bucked backwards, creating a hole big enough for them to fly through. “Are you two ready?” she whispered. Daydream and Rainbow Dash nodded. Spectrum went first, leaping out and opening her wings, flapping them lightly as she hovered just outside. “Come on.” Rainbow Dash steadied herself, perching right on the edge of the cloud. She gulped. The filly had never flown in open space before and she was getting increasingly nervous. Closing her eyes, Dash allowed herself to tumble out of the hole, flipping over a couple of times before she got her wings open. Then she was flying, flapping her wings and soaring up to join her sister. And it was incredible. Rainbow Dash felt a rush of pure adrenaline surge through her as she felt the crisp night air stir each individual feather on her wing. She felt as if she was practically floating and the air was the perfect cushion. Dash knew instinctively that this was what she was meant to do. Fly. “Come on, Dream! This is absolutely incredible!” she exclaimed, watching her sister hesitate. With a squeak, she joined her twin in the air and the three fillies took a moment to enjoy their small victory. Then they were off, knowing they had to move or risk getting caught. Spectrum led them in the direction of the Flight Camp. It was half a night’s flight and would be deserted for the rest of the year until summer came again. Gasping for breath, Dash and Daydream alighted in the arena of the flight camp. They had not expected the flight to take so much out of them and they sank gratefully into the puffy softness of the wide expanse of cloud. “You two get some sleep. I’m gonna watch for Mo- Rainbow Flash and make sure she doesn’t come after us”, Spectrum told them. “I’ll wake you if she comes.” The twins snuggled into each other, the last thing they saw the silhouette of their sister, wings spread, standing in front of them, gazing out over the night sky. The dawn came bright and rosy illuminating three gently snoring fillies all cuddled up together. Rainbow Flash blinked as the sunlight streamed into her window and she turned over groggily, struggling to get out of her bed. Her mane and tail hung lank and lifeless as she tiptoed to the fillies’ room. She opened the door quietly. Then she gasped. Flash ran to the hole in the wall, peering out of it frantically. “Dashie! Dream! Spectrum!” she shrieked. Terrified, she raced out of the front door, leaping off the cloud, wings striking out. She fled to the hole, looking around for any trace of them, but the air held no clues for her. “NO!” “What are you doing?” a voice called out. The frantic mare whipped around. “Cloud? What are you doing here?” Cloud Lightning hovered just over the roof of the house, staring down at the disheveled pegasus below him. “I just came to collect my things. Why are you screaming at a wall?” “The children are missing”, Rainbow Flash sobbed, tears coming thick and fast. Cloud sighed, landing lightly on the top of the house. “I knew this was going to happen. I’m sorry, but you brought this on yourself. I can’t do anything to help you”, he said softly. The mare glared up at him, fiery rage burning in her eyes. “You’re their FATHER! You have to help me!” she shrieked. “No, I don’t”, the stallion said firmly shaking his head. “Fine”, Flash spat, voice low and menacing. “I’m going to look for MY kids. You stay here and rot for all I care!” With that, she was off like a shot, cloud shooting up in her wake. Cloud Lightning shook his head wearily. He flapped his wings, lifting off of the roof. He headed the opposite way from his former mate, scanning the clouds, looking for any sign of the fillies despite himself. With a sudden flash of inspiration, he changed direction and headed for the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. Spectrum’s eyes shot open. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind woke her and she scanned the skies around her. Fear caught in her throat as she saw a small speck rapidly closing the distance between them. “Wake up!” she said urgently, prodding the twins with her hoof. “Wake up!” The two awoke slowly until they too saw the approaching danger. The three fillies raced across the clouds, pitching themselves off the opposite side of the cloud. They pushed themselves to go even faster, occasionally glancing back over their shoulders. It was obvious that the pegasus had spotted them; he was rapidly coming into focus. “Move!” Spectrum shouted, close to panic. She got behind Daydream, pushing her along as fast as she could. Dash flapped her wings faster, taking a moment to appreciate the shot of adrenaline that came with the speed. Eventually, it became evident that they could not out-fly the much more experienced pegasus. The three fillies looked around desperately for a hiding place, but they could find nothing. That’s when Dash spotted it. Only a few feet ahead, a massive gray cloudbank loomed over them. “In there! We can hide in the clouds!” Dash shouted as the wind picked up. Spectrum nodded, steering the reluctant Daydream forwards. The three sisters sped up a little and soon they were flying straight into the heart of the cloudbank.
StormThe small fillies soon lost themselves in the cloudbank. They knew no pegasus would find them there, no matter how hard they looked. Spectrum heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you two for coming with me. You didn’t have to, you know. I’m glad you did, though. I wouldn’t have liked doing this on my own.” Dash and Daydream simply snuggled up on either side of her. Spectrum covered their backs with her wings. Yawning, and surrounded by the fluffy gray clouds, all three settled in to catch up on their sleep. A flash of lightning woke them. Thunder rumbled underneath their hooves as all three leapt up. “We have to get out of here!” Spectrum shouted as another lightning bolt struck nearby. Rainbow Dash shrieked as she felt her tail singed by the electricity in the clouds. Panicked, she raced off, as far away from the lightning as she could get. She galloped blindly, dodging thunder and lightning, barreling through the cloudbank until she was suddenly free of the choking gray mass. She spread her wings, flying rapidly away from the murderous storm clouds. The filly heaved a sigh of relief. “Whew, that was close, wasn’t it Spectrum?” Only silence greeted her. “Spectrum? Dream?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking around wildly. Panic and fear gripped her heart and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t see them anywhere. “Daydream! SPECTRUM!” she shrieked, zipping around the cloud. A large bolt of lightning struck near her, almost hitting her. The filly lost control, spiraling downwards. She hit the ground hard and was struck unconscious. When Rainbow Dash awoke, she rubbed her head, trying to ease the splitting headache she now had. Remembering what happened just before she fell, the filly leaped to her hooves, immediately regretting it as her head protested. She slowly sank to the ground, coddling her head in her hooves. Dash looked toward the sky. The storm clouds had moved on and the skies were clear and blue once again. Once a few hours had passed, Rainbow could once again move without her head complaining. The filly panicked when she realized she was on the ground. Her mother’s words about the dangers of earth rang in her ears. She spread her wings shakily, not yet fully recovered from the shock she had received from the lightning. Flapping them gingerly, she lifted into the air. Once she was flying, she scanned the air, looking for her sisters. After she had been looking for twenty minutes, she began to panic. She knew she couldn’t survive on her own. Dash continued her search for another hour before she knew she had to land. Her hooves touched the ground and she collapsed into tears. In her heart, she knew her sisters were gone. There was no way they could have survived that storm, unless they too had made it out of the cloudbank. Once she had cried herself out, she clung to the small shred of hope that they had made it out. Dash figured that they would have flown home, as scared as they would have been. Strength flowed back to her limbs and Rainbow Dash took to the skies. She remembered the way back well enough; soon she was lighting onto the clouds near her home. She trotted in, expecting her mother to be sobbing in the living room. Another burst of panic blossomed within Dash as she found her home deserted. Frantically, she checked every room, but she found no one. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she wouldn’t give up yet. Her body, however, was not as strong as her will. Her wings screamed in pain and every muscle ached. Rainbow Dash was forced to rest. The next day, it was again storming. Rain drenched the window pains and thunder rumbled ominously. Terrified, Rainbow Dash huddled in the middle of the living room, as far from the windows as she could get. She decided she had to face her fears, so she stood and walked outside. Straightening up, she glared at the dark storm clouds above her head. “You won’t have taken them from me!” she yelled. “I WILL find them!” With that, Dash spread her cramped wings and leaped into the rain. Spluttering and coughing from the rain, she soared upwards, fighting the fear rising in her heart. Gritting her teeth, Rainbow zipped into the cloudbank. She dodged lightning and yelled at the thunder as she searched desperately for her sisters. Eventually, even the valiant Rainbow Dash had to admit that they weren’t there. She let herself flutter back to her house, wings barely able to keep her aloft. Curling up by herself, she cried herself to sleep. When she awoke the next morning, the filly knew there was only one place left she could look. The ground. Gulping down her terror, she let herself coast down. Dash could not bring herself to touch the ground, so she flew a few feet above it. Her search encompassed six miles each way; she flew in a large ring around the house. She found nothing. Absolutely nothing. The filly spent almost a year on her own, surviving off of what was left in the house. Sometimes she would stare out the windows, hoping to see mother, father, or sister returning. But nopony ever came. Rainbow Flash had left to live with Cloud Lightning’s sister. Cloud himself, had not been seen since the day he left to look for his daughters. Rainbow Dash grew bigger, her wings grew stronger. One day, there was a knock on her door. She could barely contain her excitement. Wings buzzing, she raced to the door, throwing it open, a large grin on her face. Her smile dropped when she saw that it was a stranger. “Hello”, the pegasus said kindly. “Are your parents home?” Dash shook her head. The pegasus was taken a little aback. “Oh. Well, I’m a scout for the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. I was wondering if you’d like to enroll for this summer.” “One moment, please”, Rainbow whispered. She trotted into the room that she had shared with her sisters. Opening a drawer, she found the ribbons that Daydream had so loved to wear. With hooves quick as the lightning that had taken her sisters, she wove it into her mane. Then she joined the scout at the door. “Yes, please.” The pegasus smiled. “Great! I’m Cloud Dancer by the way. Are you ready to go?” Rainbow Dash took one last look at the now deserted house. Taking a deep breath, she unfurled her wings. “Yes.”
The WonderboltsWhen Dash woke the next morning, the first thing she did was listen. She didn’t know exactly what she was listening for, she just knew she didn’t want to walk out into a scene like the previous nights. Once she had satisfied herself that all was quiet, she stood and stretched, making sure not to wake Daydream who was still sleeping peacefully. There was a soft knock at the door. Rainbow Dash winced as Daydream raised her head, blinking the sleep from her eyes. She yawned, exposing her tiny pink tongue and small white teeth. “Come in!” Rainbow called out. Rainbow Flash entered, smiling at the two fillies. “How are you this morning, darlings?” Dash and Daydream shared a look. In that look, they promised they would keep last night to themselves. “It was fine!” Rainbow piped up, plastering a forced smile on her face. Daydream nodded enthusiastically, backing her up. Their mom smiled back at them. “Great! And since I figured you two would be missing your sister, I planned a surprise. Go eat breakfast, and then we’ll be on our way.” The two pegasi fillies dashed out to their small kitchen. They both gobbled down Hay-Tarts and zipped back to their mother. “We’re ready!” Rainbow Dash grinned, hopping up and down in anticipation. “Oh, no you’re not”, Rainbow Flash laughed softly. “Look at your mane! You’re a mess. And, Daydream, your tail is a disaster. Go clean yourselves up, then we can go.” She smiled to herself as the two fillies raced off to do her bidding. They both reported back to her, practically shining. Flash raised a hoof to shield her eyes, pretending that they were blinding her. “Oh, my! You two are ready to go anywhere. How about we go see…the Wonderbolts?” Rainbow Dash’s eyes expanded until they nearly filled her whole head, and her jaw dropped open. “The W-w-wonderbolts?!” She squealed in delight. Daydream smiled at her mother. “Thanks, mom.” Soon the small family was sitting in the fifth row, the two fillies bouncing up and down in their seats. Flash smiled at her two children. “Oh, look, they’re about to start!” A horn blasted out and five ponies in blue and yellow suits took their places at the starting line. Rainbow leaned forwards, straining her neck. “Oh! Look, that’s Skyflier! And Cloudspinner! And, oo, oo, that’s Windy!” She pointed at each one with her hoof as she named them. A sharp crack and the pegasi were off. Windy instantly took first place, keeping that lead throughout the entire race. When she won, the crowd erupted with noise, cheers ringing out everywhere. Rainbow Dash leaped up, cheering and whooping and hollering so much that she didn’t notice her mom and Daydream were going to leave until Flash tapped her in the head with her wing. “Come on, slowpoke!” Daydream teased. The crowd was large and Rainbow Dash wanted to take in everything about the place where she had personally seen the Wonderbolts. Eventually, she slowed, looking around her. She didn’t notice when Daydream and Rainbow Flash pulled ahead in the crowd. She didn’t notice when she became utterly lost. The next time she looked ahead the crowd was as thick as ever, and her mom wasn’t in sight. “Mom!” she screamed frantically. “MOMMY!” The filly desperately tore through the crowd, stumbling and tripping, tears streaming down her face. None of the pegasi around her paid her any attention. They just walked right on by, ignoring her cries. “So, Dashie, did you like the race?” Rainbow Flash asked. She waited for a reply. And waited. And waited. “Dashie?” Turning, she realized she couldn’t see her daughter anywhere. “DASHIE! RAINBOW DASH!” she screamed frantically. Daydream, startled and panicked by their mother’s frenzied voice, began to cry. Rainbow Flash plucked Daydream off of the clouds by the nape of her neck, tossing her onto her back. “Wrap your hooves around my neck and don’t let go”, she commanded sternly, spreading her wings. With a few beats she was off the ground, soaring above the crowd, scanning it for her little filly. The missing pegasus was still racing through the crowd, getting under hooves and tripping up more than a few ponies. She turned her head from one side to the other, eyes flicking over every pony in the crowd. Dash smacked into something small and furry and both fillies went flying. When she stood up, she came face to face with a tiny, long-legged yellow pegasus filly with light pink mane and tail. “Sorry”, the new pegasus whispered, covering one eye with her mane. Rainbow Dash’s frightened eyes met the green eyes of the new filly. “Help me. I can’t find my mommy.” She started to cry even harder, tears spilling unchecked down her face. “I’m Fluttershy”, Fluttershy said softly, responding instinctively to a creature in distress. She extended her small wing, draping it as best she could over Dash’s back. “Where was the last place you saw your mommy?” she asked in a soothing voice. “R-row five”, Rainbow Dash said, wiping her eyes with the back of a hoof. The two fillies got to their hooves, threading their way through the crowd, back to row five. When they got there, a very frazzled Rainbow Flash and a still crying Daydream met them. All three embraced, Flash holding Dash as close as she possibly could. “Don’t you dare ever do anything like that again, do you hear me? I was so scared!” Fluttershy melted wordlessly back into the crowd, not wanting to interrupt. Rainbow Flash wiped Rainbow Dash’s eyes gently. “Come on. Let’s get back home. It’s been a long day.” The two fillies fell asleep almost instantly when they got home. Rainbow Flash closed their door quietly.
